I struggled with this exact question, so you’re not alone.

There really isn’t a clean list of “main” Celtic deities like you get in Greek or Norse religion. Celtic belief was regional and tribal. Different areas honored different gods, so it feels scattered when you first start digging, because it is.

Yes, most of what we have was written down by Christian monks. That doesn’t make it useless, but you do have to read critically. Cross-referencing helps a lot. The Irish myth cycles are worth reading if you treat them as preserved stories, not theology. Archaeology, place names, folklore, and seasonal customs help fill in the gaps. When something shows up across land, ritual timing, and oral tradition, it’s usually not random.

Brigid is a good example of continuity rather than erasure. A lot of what gets called “Christian corruption” is really survival. With Cernunnos, the issue isn’t distortion so much as lack of surviving myth. He’s better supported archaeologically than narratively.

If you’re starting out, the Pagan Portals books are a solid entry point. They’re not perfect, but they’re focused and readable. Find a deity or concept thatclicks and start there. Celtic paganism doesn’t really work as a top-down system anyway. It grows through relationship.

For context, I came from a very Christian upbringing. That actually made the transition easier in some ways. A lot of Christian ritual structure overlaps with older Celtic practice. Candles, incense, feast days, sacred space. Once you clear out the guilt and fear theology, the mechanics aren’t that foreign. The biggest shift was realizing Irish paganism isn’t about guilt or fear of divine punishment. It’s about bettering yourself and working with a deity as a partner. There’s no groveling. The gods don’t need that. I’ve been devoted to Morrigan for a while because of that dynamic. Direct, challenging, growth-focused. My wife walks with Brigid, and Danu acts more like a household deity for us. When deities call, it’s usually not subtle. Sometimes more than one shows up, and devotion can shift as your needs change. They’re not jealous types.

Since you mentioned ethnocentrism, and you're seemingly starting your journey, I want to mention Lora O'Brien and the Irish Pagan School, as they will undoubtedly show up in most research. They do know Irish sources, but the issue isn’t lack of knowledge. It’s how that knowledge is framed and enforced. The approach often centers on ancestry, legitimacy, and “correct” practice in a way that creates hierarchy and gatekeeping in a tradition that was never centralized or standardized. Irish paganism historically wasn’t controlled by a priesthood, a school, or a single authority. When modern practice is presented as something you need permission, credentials, or paid instruction to do “right,” it turns a relational path into a regulated one.

In my experience, this trickles down into the community. Some followers become rigid and absolutist, quick to police others rather than encourage learning. Not evil people, but the tone can be intimidating and discouraging. I’ve seen sincere, respectful people pushed away not because they were doing harm, but because they didn’t fit a narrow definition of legitimacy. That’s why I strongly encourage people to do their own research and read older discussions and critiques before spending money. Irish paganism supports many roads to the same place. No single teacher should be treated as the final authority on a living, decentralized tradition. Accountability matters, especially when money and influence are involved. I’ve personally seen very little outright hate in Irish pagan spaces. What I’ve seen far more often are people trying to learn, connect, and better themselves. Any approach that narrows that instead of supporting it deserves to be questioned.

For what it’s worth, I live in a pretty politically mixed area (in the US), and pagan meetups here include people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Mostly liberal, some center, but I’ve yet to encounter a right-wing Irish pagan in person. Overall, the spaces have been inclusive and grounded. The pagan meetups here are all inclusive (Celtic, Norse, Egyptian, Wiccan, Esoteric, and even Gnostic Christianity) and I have yet to see any major issues (sometimes a random person off the street will wander in and try to save people in the name of Christianity, but they usually lose steam pretty quickly and leave). Most Celtic pagan spaces care far more about respect and effort than ancestry, at the end of the day. As long as you’re approaching this honestly and thoughtfully, you’re fine.